Russian billionaire accuses Kremlin of sabotaging political career

Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov has accused the Kremlin of trying to sabotage his fledgling political career ahead of key polls.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov Photo: REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov

7:00AM BST 15 Sep 2011

The billionaire leader of the Pravoe Delo (Right Cause) party spoke hours after his allies and spokespeople complained people close to the Kremlin had conspired against the party leader to boot him out.

"There are attempts by employees of the presidential administration to put the Right Cause party under control," Mr Prokhorov told a news conference.

"Who is behind this, I will say tomorrow," he said, referring to the second day of the party congress scheduled for today.

In May, Mr Prokhorov, the charismatic owner of the NBA's New Jersey Nets basketball team, made a splash on Russia's lethargic political scene by announcing his readiness to lead a small pro-reform party in parliamentary polls.

In June, he easily won the party's leadership at a congress, setting the goal of challenging the dominance of Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia faction.

The move marked the first foray into politics by a top businessman since the 2003 arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky who critics say was punished for daring to challenge the Kremlin.

Analysts have said Mr Prokhorov could not have assumed the party leadership without the tacit support of the Kremlin, which stands to benefit from a semblance of political competition ahead of parliamentary polls in December and presidential elections three months later.

Mr Prokhorov, who is described as Russia's most eligible bachelor and enjoys a reported fortune of $18 billion, has denied he had to obtain the Kremlin's permission to head the party and insists he was his own man.

He had become increasingly bold in his statements over the past weeks, slamming Russia's "autocratic power" and attacking the Kremlin's model of government.

A party source said the billionaire might have overplayed his hand and angered the Kremlin.

The source said Mr Prokhorov wants to put Yevgeny Roizman, the founder of a controversial treatment programme for drug addicts, on party lists, a decision that apparently displeased the Kremlin.

Earlier, the first day of the party's pre-election congress kicked off with a scandal as Mr Prokhorov's allies and spokespeople accused the Kremlin of manoeuvring to force him out.

"There are forces who are seeking to split the party apart," the party source told AFP.

"We believe that these people are close to the presidential administration."

Party spokeswoman Olga Stukalova told AFP the party congress was "hijacked by people close to the presidential administration".

Party member and prominent journalist Alexander Lyubimov said Kremlin-connected political consultants and several party members were seeking to form a majority to oust Mr Prokhorov.

Mr Prokhorov told reporters later in the day that one of top Kremlin officials in charge of domestic politics, Radiy Khabirov, was behind the attack on him, adding that the Kremlin's top ideologue Vladislav Surkov was also watching the congress closely.

A source in the Kremlin administration, speaking to the Interfax news agency, dismissed the tycoon's statements as "hysterics".

Analysts said Mr Prokhorov's confrontation with the Kremlin is likely to nip in the bud his political ambitions.